When it comes to SEO tools, Ahrefs is widely regarded as one of the top choices for keyword research, backlink analysis, and site audits. However, its high price tag makes it out of reach for many individuals, small businesses, or freelancers. If you’re looking for a free Ahrefs alternative that offers similar features without the hefty price, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll explore the best free alternatives to Ahrefs that offer comparable SEO functionalities. These tools will help you optimize your website’s SEO strategy effectively, all without breaking the bank.
Why Choose an Ahrefs Alternative?
- Cost-Effective: Ahrefs can be expensive, especially for small businesses and freelancers. Free and affordable alternatives provide similar features at a fraction of the cost.
- Specialized Features: Some Ahrefs alternatives offer specialized tools that may be better suited to your specific SEO needs, such as content research, keyword extraction, or local SEO.
- Free Plans: Many alternatives come with free plans that allow users to perform essential SEO tasks without the need for a premium subscription.
- Ease of Use: Some Ahrefs alternatives have simpler and more intuitive interfaces, making them easier to navigate for beginners.
- Less Complexity: For users who don’t need the full range of advanced features offered by Ahrefs, alternatives can provide the necessary tools without overwhelming them.
- Focus on Specific Areas: If you need a more focused tool for backlink analysis, site crawling, or keyword research, certain alternatives may offer better-targeted solutions than Ahrefs.
- Better for Smaller Sites: Alternatives may be ideal for smaller websites that don’t require the in-depth, large-scale functionality of Ahrefs.
- No Long-Term Commitment: Many free alternatives don’t require long-term subscriptions or contracts, giving users flexibility without financial commitment.
Top 10 Best Free Ahrefs Alternatives
Here are 10 of the best free Ahrefs alternatives that offer valuable SEO tools to help optimize your website:
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Hypestat
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SimilarSites
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urlscan.io
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Keywords Everywhere
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AnswerThePublic
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Screaming Frog SEO Spider
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Moz (Free Tools / MozBar)
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Wordtracker
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Seobility
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OpenLinkProfiler
Comparison Table of Best Ahrefs Alternatives
| Tool | Best For | Key Features | Free Plan Available | Main Limitations | Pricing* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hypestat | Quick traffic & site overview | Traffic estimates, SEO stats, hosting info | Yes | Estimates only, not live analytics | Free (with optional services) |
| SimilarSites | Finding competitor & similar websites | “Similar sites” discovery, browser extension | Yes | Focused on discovery, not deep SEO metrics | Free (Chrome/Edge add-on) |
| urlscan.io | URL & page inspection/security check | Page snapshot, requests, scripts, redirects | Yes | Security-focused, not classic SEO metrics | Free for public scans, paid Pro |
| Keywords Everywhere | In-browser keyword & SEO metrics | Search volume, CPC, competition, traffic metrics | Yes (freemium) | Full keyword data uses paid credits | Free basic, credit packs from ~$15 |
| AnswerThePublic | Content & question-based keyword ideas | Search listening, question clusters, trends | Yes | Limited free searches | Free limited; paid from ~$13.33/mo yearly |
| Screaming Frog | Technical SEO & website crawling | Crawl up to 500 URLs, find SEO issues | Yes | 500-URL limit on free version | Free (500 URLs), paid £199/year |
| Moz (Free Tools) | Quick authority & SERP metrics | MozBar, DA/PA, basic keyword & link data | Yes | Full suite in Moz Pro (paid) | Free tools; Moz Pro from $99/mo |
| Wordtracker | Long-tail keyword research | Free keyword tool, search volume, competition | Yes | Deep data & exports require paid plan | Free tool; paid plans from ~$27/mo (after $10 trial) |
| Seobility.net | On-page SEO checks & rankings | SEO checker, ranking & backlink checker | Yes | Limits on pages/queries in free plan | Free basic; Premium from $50/mo |
| OpenLinkProfiler | Free backlink analysis | Backlink checker, anchor texts, link metrics | Yes | Free tool, but data depth less than Ahrefs | Free |
10 Best Free Ahrefs Alternatives Reviews
1. Hypestat
Review: Hypestat is a free website statistics and analytics tool that lets you see estimated traffic, visitor stats, hosting information, and basic SEO signals for almost any domain. It’s useful for quick competitor research or a snapshot of a site’s scale and visibility.
Best For: Quick traffic and site overview
Features:
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Estimated daily visitors, pageviews, and traffic rank
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Basic SEO stats and performance indicators
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Hosting, server, and technology details
Pros:
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Completely free to use for basic stats
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Great for checking competitor sites at a glance
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Helpful starting point for judging site size and potential
Cons:
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Data is estimated, not live analytics
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Limited keyword and backlink detail compared to Ahrefs
Pricing: Free (with optional premium services for advanced analytics).
2. SimilarSites
Review: SimilarSites helps you discover websites related to the one you’re currently browsing. As a browser extension, it’s great for quickly finding competitors, alternative tools, and niche sites to study or get links from.
Best For: Finding competitor and similar websites
Features:
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Browser extension for Chrome (and others)
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One-click list of similar or related sites
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Helpful for competitor research and niche discovery
Pros:
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Very easy to use
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Great for finding outreach prospects and niche competitors
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Completely free to install and run
Cons:
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Does not provide detailed SEO metrics (backlinks, keywords, etc.)
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Suggestions are based on similarity, not ranking performance
Pricing: Free.
3. urlscan.io
Review: urlscan.io is a website and URL scanner primarily built for security research and threat hunting. You enter a URL, and it shows you how the page loads, what resources are called, redirects, scripts, and more—useful when checking suspicious links or understanding what a page is actually doing.
Best For: Inspecting URLs, security checks, and deep page behavior
Features:
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Full snapshot of page requests, scripts, and resources
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Geographic and device options for scans
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Public scans you can view and search
Pros:
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Free public scans are very powerful
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Great for checking spammy or potentially dangerous pages before linking
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Helpful for diagnosing redirects, tracking scripts, and on-page behaviors
Cons:
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Security/forensics-focused, not a traditional SEO tool
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No keyword research, rank tracking, or typical SEO metrics
Pricing: Free for public scans; paid Pro plans for advanced and private scanning.
4. Keywords Everywhere (Free Version with Browser Extension)
Review: Keywords Everywhere is a browser extension that provides useful keyword data directly within your browser. It offers keyword volume, CPC (cost-per-click), and competition in the SERP, making it a handy tool for quick keyword research. The free version shows basic metrics, with a paid upgrade available for full functionality.
Best For: Quick keyword volume and competition analysis.
Features:
- Keyword volume, CPC, competition
- Browser extension for quick access
- Keyword data in Google, Amazon, YouTube, etc.
Pros:
- Easy-to-use browser extension
- Great for quick keyword checks
- Offers data directly in search results
Cons:
- Free version shows only basic metrics
- Full features require a paid upgrade
Pricing: Free for basic features, paid version available.
5. AnswerThePublic
Review: AnswerThePublic is an excellent tool for finding question-based keyword ideas. It provides search trends and long-tail keyword ideas based on actual search queries, helping you understand what people are asking online. While the free version is limited to a set number of queries per day, it’s an essential tool for content creators and marketers.
Best For: Search trends & question-based keyword ideas.
Features:
- Visual keyword ideas
- Daily trend reports
- Keyword suggestions based on search queries
Pros:
- Free daily search trend reports
- Visual representation of keyword data
- Great for content ideas
Cons:
- Limited data on the free plan
- Requires a paid plan for more comprehensive features
Pricing: Free, with paid plans available for more data.
6. Screaming Frog SEO Spider (Free Version)
Review: Screaming Frog SEO Spider is one of the most powerful website crawlers for SEO analysis. The free version allows you to crawl up to 500 URLs to detect SEO issues like broken links, duplicate content, and meta tag problems. It’s great for technical SEO audits, but the free version has limitations in terms of crawl depth.
Best For: Website crawling and SEO audits.
Features:
- Crawls up to 500 URLs for free
- Detects SEO issues like broken links, missing meta tags, and redirects
- Provides technical SEO audit reports
Pros:
- Deep insights into technical SEO
- Free for up to 500 URLs
- Great for auditing small websites
Cons:
- Limited to 500 URLs per crawl in the free version
- Requires paid version for larger sites and more advanced features
Pricing: Free for up to 500 URLs, paid plans from £149/year.
7. MozBar (by Moz) – Free SEO Toolbar
Review: MozBar is a browser toolbar that provides quick access to important SEO metrics like Page Authority (PA) and Domain Authority (DA). While it’s not a full SEO tool suite, it’s perfect for on-the-go SEO analysis and provides valuable SEO metrics while you browse the web.
Best For: In-browser SEO insights.
Features:
- View PA/DA metrics while browsing
- On-page elements analysis
- Keyword difficulty score
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Quick access to SEO metrics directly in your browser
- Great for analyzing competitors’ websites
Cons:
- Not a comprehensive SEO tool
- Lacks in-depth features like backlink analysis
Pricing: Free.
8. Wordtracker Scout (Browser Extension)
Review: Wordtracker Scout is a browser extension that allows you to extract keywords from any webpage. It’s an easy-to-use tool that provides valuable insights for quick keyword research, but its features are basic compared to Ahrefs and other alternatives.
Best For: On-page keyword extraction.
Features:
- Extract keywords from any webpage
- View keyword competition and search volume
Pros:
- Simple and fast keyword extraction
- Browser extension makes it easy to use
Cons:
- Basic functionality with limited features
- Requires a paid version for more data
Pricing: Free.
9. Seobility Free Website Checker
Review: Seobility provides a website checker tool to help you identify SEO issues on your website. It crawls your site for errors, checks for meta tag issues, and finds broken links. The free plan has limitations on the depth of the crawl but still offers useful data for small sites.
Best For: Website audits and error detection.
Features:
- Meta error detection
- Broken link finder
- Basic website crawl
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Great for small websites
- Provides on-page SEO insights
Cons:
- Limited pages crawled on the free plan
- Lacks advanced features available in paid tools
Pricing: Free, with paid plans for deeper analysis.
10. OpenLinkProfiler
Review: OpenLinkProfiler is a free backlink analysis tool that lets you explore the backlinks to any domain. While it doesn’t have the massive link index of Ahrefs, it’s surprisingly powerful for a tool that’s completely free and is very useful for quick link audits and competitor checks.
Best For: Free backlink analysis and link profile snapshots
Features:
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Free backlink checker for any domain
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Data on referring domains, anchor texts, and link types
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Basic domain and link authority metrics
Pros:
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100% free to use
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Helpful for quick backlink checks and competitor research
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Good starting point for link-building campaigns
Cons:
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Data may be less comprehensive than paid giants like Ahrefs
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Interface and depth of filtering are more basic
Pricing: Free.
How to Choose the Best Ahrefs Alternative
When selecting the best Ahrefs alternative, consider the following factors:
- Specific Needs: Determine if you need keyword research, backlink analysis, or technical SEO auditing.
- Pricing: If you’re on a budget, look for tools with free plans or affordable pricing.
- Data Depth: Ensure the tool provides the data depth you need for your SEO goals.
- Ease of Use: Choose tools that are easy to navigate and fit your workflow.
Conclusion
There are plenty of free Ahrefs alternatives that provide powerful features for keyword research, backlink analysis, and SEO auditing. Whether you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to Ahrefs or just need a basic tool for your SEO efforts, the options listed above will help you optimize your website without the high costs associated with premium tools like Ahrefs.
FAQS
What are the best free alternatives to Ahrefs?
Ubersuggest, Google Search Console, and Bing Webmaster Tools offer valuable SEO features for free.
Can I use Ubersuggest as an alternative to Ahrefs?
Yes, Ubersuggest offers keyword research, site audits, and backlink analysis, making it a great free Ahrefs alternative.
What is the best free backlink checker tool?
OpenLinkProfiler is an excellent free tool for checking backlinks and competitor link analysis.
Is there a free alternative to Ahrefs for keyword research?
Yes, AnswerThePublic and Keywords Everywhere are both great free alternatives for keyword research.
How accurate is Google Search Console for SEO?
Google Search Console provides highly accurate data directly from Google, making it an essential tool for website owners to monitor site performance.
